Record of the day: Stéphane Grappelli, “Feeling+Finesse = Jazz”

Stephane Grappelli
“Feeling + Finesse = Jazz” (Atlantic Jazz CD 7567-90140-2)

The figure of the violinist Stéphane Grappelli will forever remain in symbiosis with that of his spiritual twin, the guitarist Django Reinhardt, with whom Stéphane shared the exciting adventure of the Hot Club de France Quintet during the 1930s.
The identification between the two is such that one often tends to relegate to the background the vast discography that Grappelli has created
after the untimely death of Django.

These are albums that naturally move in the same direction from a stylistic point of view, and even if sometimes the guitarist partners chosen by Grappelli were not up to the level of the legendary gypsy musician (but who could have?) nevertheless many of these recordings are of the highest quality and give us moments of.
very pleasant swing absolutely not to be underestimated. The title of this album contains the right recipe for cooking
excellent musical bonbons, promptly confirmed by listening.

When Grappelli recorded the album in Paris in 1962 he was certainly no longer a young man, yet his instrumental prowess is intact both from a technical point of view (always impeccable) and from that of phrasing, more intense and rich in melodic expression. He is accompanied by a top-notch group that includes the great Daniel Humair on drums, guitarists Leo Petit and Pierre Cavalli (an excellent soloist able to perfectly complement Grappelli’s unstoppable violin acrobatics) and Guy Pedersen on bass, whose solid lines hook onto Humair’s drums with skill.

Of course, a tribute to his musical brother could not be missed, so here is a beautiful version of John Lewis’ “Django” and two famous songs composed by Reinhardt, “Minor Swing” and “Daphne”, revisited with humor, grace and Mozartian lightness. The rest of the album looks back to the swing period with smiling nostalgia, dusting off Benny Goodman’s “Soft Winds” and two evergreens like “Makin’ Whoopee” and “How About You?”.

The beauty of the solos and the serene conversation between the musicians make the album flow quickly, Grappelli seems to really possess the elixir of eternal youth; after all his enchanted violin has continued to give the best of itself for many years after the release of this album, perhaps not his best known but not to be missed if you love good jazz.

Carlo Boccadoro, composer and conductor, was born in Macerata in 1963. He lives and works in Milan. He collaborates with soloists and orchestras in different parts of the world. He is the author of numerous books on musical subjects.

This text is taken from “Lunario della musica: Un disco per ogni giorno dell’anno” published by Einaudi, courtesy of the author and the publisher.